The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) has uncovered ₴4.35 million in unreported assets during a full audit of the 2024 asset declaration of Vitaliy Cherniuk, head of an expert group at the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The findings indicate potential criminal liability under Part 1, Article 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (filing false information in an asset declaration).
The audit, conducted between December 2025 and early April 2026, revealed a series of undisclosed real estate properties, monetary transfers, vehicles, and bank accounts.
The largest omissions in the declaration involved a Kyiv apartment and a substantial money transfer from the official’s father:
Capital Property: The official’s family had lived in a 55.8 sq. m Kyiv apartment for years, yet Cherniuk omitted it from his 2024 declaration, citing the lack of a formal occupancy agreement. The NACP rejected this argument, stating that actual residence alone requires disclosure. According to the Kyiv Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, the minimum market value of the property stood at ₴2.35 million as of late 2024.
Financial Transfer: On February 23, 2024, the official’s father transferred ₴2 million to a real estate developer under a preliminary purchase agreement signed by Cherniuk’s wife. The official claimed this was not a gift because his wife did not receive cash directly. However, the agency classified the third-party payment as a reportable financial gift.
«A third-party payment that allows a family member to acquire property rights without using their own funds constitutes a gift and must be declared,» the NACP stated.
The audit highlighted further discrepancies across Cherniuk’s assets and income stream:
Property Purchased via State Certificates: In February 2024, Cherniuk bought a plot of land and a house worth over ₴4 million from his own father in the Kyiv region. While he logged the physical property in his declaration, he failed to declare the ₴4 million state compensation voucher as income.
Vehicle Fleet: The declaration omitted a VAZ-2109 registered under Cherniuk’s name since 2002 (which he claimed was sold via power of attorney). Additionally, he listed a Hyundai Getz and a Honda Accord as joint property with his wife, despite official registries listing him as the sole owner.
Bank Accounts: Despite marking «no objects» in the banking section, the audit discovered active accounts belonging to the official and his wife across PrivatBank, Oshadbank, Raiffeisen Bank, and Sense Bank.
The agency has formally notified the leadership of the Ministry of Defense. Because the violations exceed administrative infractions and point to criminal offenses, the audit findings have been referred to law enforcement agencies to decide on opening a criminal investigation.